Two women sexually assaulted while queuing to see the Queen as man, 19, court told
16 September 2022, 15:43 | Updated: 16 September 2022, 16:32
Two women were sexually assaulted while queuing near Parliament to see the Queen's lying in state, a court has been told.
Adio Adeshine, 19, is alleged to have exposed himself and pushed into the two after approaching from behind on Wednesday evening.
The alleged incident came on the first day of the lying in state, when Westminster Hall opened to the public just after Liz Truss and other key figures in politics had paid their respects.
Mr Adeshine is said to have gone into the Thames to try and escape police before being arrested when he got out of the water.
He has been remanded in custody after appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
He is charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.
That part of the queue is just before the entrance to Westminster Hall, where the Queen is lying in state.
Thousands of people have lined up since Wednesday to pay their respects to the late monarch, with hundreds collapsing in the line, the NHS said.
The culture department had to apologise after the queue reached full capacity on Friday.
It said Southwark Park, the start point of the queue, was full.
"Southwark Park has reached capacity. Entry will be paused for at least six hours. We are sorry for any inconvenience. Please do not attempt to join the queue until it re-opens," organisers said.
